Over 4,500 female students at the Girls’ Campus of the school had a narrow escape when a fire broke out near the outer security gate of the three-story building.
“Neither any injury nor any loss of school property has been reported so far,” said A. Imthias, the IISR chairman. No student or teacher complained of any kind of harm, breathlessness or asphyxiation.
A teacher said the incident happened at midday. “All of us ran upstairs to get back to our classes and evacuate children; suddenly there was a commotion downstairs and I saw smoke billowing,” she said.
All students, she said, were evacuated from the classes to the central open area of the IISR Girls Section. “The teachers and especially our support staff including drivers were quick to react and averted tragedy after the fire siren sounded,” said Imthias, adding that fire brigade officials arrived quickly after the distress call. “But, the fire was brought under control before they,” he added.
He pointed out that a fire drill in cooperation with the Civil Defense would be held on Tuesday. Asked about the security measures taken by the IISR, he said that the school had installed fire-extinguishing equipment and adopted other safety measures to avoid any problems. The first aid team also arrived when it heard about the fire at the school, he noted.
Meanwhile, anxious parents said they were “satisfied” with the school’s response but asked the IISR to further improve safety measures. “It was an accident, but thankfully no student was injured,” said one parent. He suggested checking all air conditioners, electric circuits and related equipment before summer.
The IISR, which has separate campuses for boys and girls, has a total enrolment of over 9,800 students. The school, one of the largest overseas Indian schools, has over 478 teachers including support staff.
